Meerkats, eh? Cute, desert-dwelling creatures with inquisitive natures and a disturbing habit of being picked off by predators just as BBC crews arrive to narrate their tragic end. Surely prime fodder for the cinematic vulture.

No shock, then, that BBC Films and The Weinstein Company have opened their wallets to produce The Meerkats, which will see the nervous mammals up on screen. But this won’t be some pop culture riff-laden cartoon: it’ll feature Proper Documentary Footage shot by the BBC Natural History Unit.

"The film has huge emotional appeal and will really travel internationally. It's a great story with a fantastic team behind it,," BBC Films chief David Thompson told The Hollywood Reporter. That, and furry critters being savaged by hyenas.